Just about every guy who likes to work with his hands loves duct tape. This icon of the workshop has many inventive uses that make me wonder if the individuals who come up with the ideas have too much time on their hands. The many uses for duct tape include fashion accessories and my husband decided to test some of these fashion ideas out over the holidays and for some special birthdays.

His first undertaking was to make wallets out of duct tape. He chose black for the color and followed the step-by-step directions he found online to each detail. The results were amazing. My husband gave the wallets as Christmas gag gifts for friends and relatives who have a good sense of humor.

No one knew that the wallets were supposed to be a joke. The real presents were gift cards inside the wallets. The people who received the unique handmade gifts had no idea that they were made of duct tape and they had trouble guessing the material even when given clues. Many guessed that they were made of leather and one guessed that his was made out of snake skins. They were really surprised when we told them that they were made of tape.

His next few fashion creations were not such a hit. He made duct tape neckties that looked like they were made of paten leather. They were awkward looking and nearly impossible to wear. My husband blamed the necktie fiasco on a poor design pattern, but I attribute it to a poor idea in the first place. Not everything can be made out of duct tape, I argued.

Just then, he introduced me to a duct tape website in which a couple attending a prom was pictured. They were dressed completely in duct tape from head to toe. My husband was very pleased with this image because he had a chance to tease me about my statement. He still considers duct tape to be the most useful material on the planet and there is no arguing against the stuff.

I try not to discourage him with his inventive undertakings. They seem to make him happy and they certainly keep him busy. I also don’t want him to get any ideas about trying to defend his favorite material. I would hate to have a tennis bracelet made out of duct tape. I wouldn’t put it past him.

There is something very inexplicable and enthralling about Ancient Egyptian art.  The Ancient Egyptians were one of the most enigmatic cultures of our earliest recorded history.  We know just enough about the Ancient Egyptians to make us realize how complex and sophisticated their society was, yet not nearly enough to answer all our questions about them.  Personally, the one facet about their culture I am most mystified and intrigued by is their art.  Ancient Egyptian art provokes the feelings of mystery shrouding over their culture perfectly.  Clearly, they were a passionate, creative, and strangely harmonious people, and Ancient Egyptian art shares these qualities with its viewers.

Ancient Egyptian art has had a profound impact on art and architecture today as well.  If you look around, no matter what part of the world you live in you’re likely to see some buildings and art motifs that reflect the designs and themes commonly found in Ancient Egyptian art.  You probably don’t realize it in your day-to-day life, but when you are actively looking for it you see it everywhere.

There are a lot of Ancient Egyptian art works you can buy and hang around your house if you’re especially fond of it.  Obviously, they are not real Ancient Egyptian art, but they mimic real pieces very well.  Conveying the same sorts of mystic and intrigue into your home.  My friend’s wife spent some time living in Egypt and their house is filled with such artworks.  I feel a little bit like I’m visiting a museum when I am at their home.

Of course, real Ancient Egyptian artworks are priceless and pretty much found only in actual museum displays.  I love going to museums when they have an Ancient Egyptian art display up.  I’m not sure why, it’s just one of those cultures I’ve always been fascinated by.  If you live near any big city, there is probably a few museums near you that will at least once in awhile have some Ancient Egyptian art on display.

Even if you don’t live near any such museums, you can at least get a chance to see some Ancient Egyptian art by snooping around online.  There are some great web sites devoted to Ancient Egyptian art, giving you a sense of what it is like.  Then once you’ve seen enough of it, you’ll probably begin to notice all the subtle ways it continues to influence creative designs today.

When I grew up I was always surrounded by mason jars. There are still a ton of them in my mom’s basement, though she doesn’t use them any longer. She and my grandmother were both avid canners, and they always made sure they took their time and saved each of the precious vegetables they had growing in their gardens each summer. I always had a fun time helping with this chore and though I don’t do it myself, I do know there are many who still do it.

Both my grandmother and my mom used mason jars they had used before, but they always had to end up buying more. The grocery stores in my area always had jars for sale because many people where I grew up canned food for the winter, and they wanted their business. I don’t find this as much as I did when I was a child, but on occasion I do come across a display in a local store and it reminds me of my childhood. Funny how something as simple as mason jars in a store display can bring back pleasant feelings from long ago.

Mason jars aren’t just for canning though, there are a lot of people who have found a new use for them. I have a friend who makes and sells candles, and a lot of her candles are in mason jars and other glass containers. They have a homey look to them and many people prefer this type of candle because the mason jars can be closed.  This type of candle is all around cleaner and easier to take care of. She has a large assortment of mason jars in her garage and she will end up using every single one of them. I have quite a few of them in my house and I love how they can be stored anywhere and used at any time.

If you need a large supply of mason jars for any reason, you can get them at a good price. They are generally not very expensive and if you buy large amounts at once, you can save even more money. If you can’t find them locally, you can look online for good deals. In most cases, you will find ads in your local classifieds. People cleaning out attics, garages and basements may be looking to get rid of a bunch of them and you may get an amazing deal that way.

Indoor outdoor carpeting can turn a dirty old porch into a welcoming display for your home. There are many options in style and color and you don’t have to deal with Astroturf at all. The new indoor outdoor carpeting available on the market is the real thing only sturdier.  Everyone has been to a home that had the green, prickly Astroturf on the porch. It is supposed to look like grass, but it really doesn’t do such a great job. The entire thing looks like something that might grow under the porch instead of something that is placed on purpose in the area.

We have come a long way since the Astroturf days and indoor outdoor carpeting has paved the way to a bright, decorative future for both the inside and outside of the home. You can choose from a ton of designs as well as solid colors for your space. The options are vast and you have no reason to keep your porch bare any longer.  The indoor outdoor carpeting is perfect for anyone who has a breeze way like I do. I love that the breeze way serves as a kind of sunroom. There are two doors facing each other in the area and it is entirely enclosed with glass windows. It makes for the perfect place to stop right before entering the home.

When we first moved into the house, we immediately removed the Astroturf that seemed to be growing on the breeze way. Under the plastic grass rug we found lots of dirt and an unattractive cement foundation for the porch. While I was thrilled to be rid of the green stuff, I was just as turned off by the grey stuff.  My husband painted the breeze way with epoxy paint which made it appear better, but there was still something cold and uninviting about the space. I didn’t think about indoor outdoor carpeting as an option just because we had just gotten rid of the Astroturf. I just couldn’t imagine covering up my husband’s paint job.

That is, until I was at a home improvement store. I saw indoor outdoor carpeting that boasted blue and yellow tones that matched the French country decorating theme I had started. I bought the indoor outdoor carpeting immediately and took it home.  We are thrilled with the results. The breeze way is now an extension of our house. It is warm and inviting and we spend many hours enjoying the beautiful space. It is amazing how something like indoor outdoor carpeting can make such a difference.

Southern Living at Home is a sales and marketing company that specializes in merchandise for the home. You can find a lot of wonderful one of a kind objects and utensils for every room of your home through Southern Living. You have to order all items through a consultant, but this can be part of the fun.  One of the appealing features of Southern Living is that the program is perfect for mothers who want to stay at home with their children during the day. You can build your own schedule and work when you want to work. Your income depends on the amount of time and effort you put into the company.

Basically, your job is to host parties and encourage others to host parties as well. These get togethers revolve around the Southern Living line of products. These gatherings are a great way to make money from home and they are a great way to spend some quality time with friends and family.  My sister-in-law is a consultant for Southern Living and she loves it. She has quit her day job to pursue a career with the company and she has no regrets. She loves making her own schedule and she adores the idea of entertaining. In fact, she has come up with some wonderful themes for Southern Living parties.

The first theme involves the classic tea party. She chose Victorian decorations and she made scones and tea for the Southern Living party. The guests all wore Victorian style clothing or they simply wore lacy clothes accessorized with hats and gloves. The tea party was a real hit.  During the summer we have the annual luau for our Southern Living party. This popular beach party is fun for everyone in the family and by the time you have a few frozen daiquiris, you forget that you are at a consultant party.  Some of the other themes they are coming up with for consultant parties include golf widows’ day (you can insert just about any other sport there) in which the ladies dress in their best golf attire. Of course, the holidays always make for great Southern Living theme parties as well.

There are many themes out there and I am very curious to find out what my sister-in-law comes up with next. Even though the products offered by Southern Living are exquisite it is always fun to have a theme party to go along with the shopping.

My friend and I used to watch the show Trading Spaces together all the time. I’m not sure why this became a habit for us, but it was something that we did each weekend. One of the things I never understood about the show was why it seemed each and every one of the designers they had on the show had a deep hatred for each ceiling fan they came into contact with. I used to wonder why it was considered such a hated item and if perhaps they had all taken a class in college called, “How To Hate A Ceiling Fan 101.”

Each and every ceiling fan that they came into contact with was doomed. There was no saving any of them, no matter how practical they might be. Perhaps they have money to throw around, I don’t know, but sometimes you have to be practical above all else. It may not be the perfect look, but if it saves you from spending a lot of money on air conditioning, why on earth would you consider the ceiling fan to be something evil?

I suspect they were looking at it from the design aspect and I can understand that. I don’t think all fans are ugly though and they certainly have an important use in life. I have found that one ceiling fan set on low can keep a room cool enough in the summer that I didn’t have to turn on the air conditioning. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that running a ceiling fan is a lot cheaper than running an air conditioner. We aren’t all made of money folks! Quite frankly I felt that those designers were so bent on the perfect room that they don’t realize the perfect looking room doesn’t do much good if you can’t bear to be in there because of the heat. It just seems like common sense to me.

If you want to have a ceiling fan in your home, don’t worry about what the designers on Trading Spaces think. They are a cost efficient way to keep a room or a home cooler and they don’t really look that bad at all. In fact, if you get the right ceiling fan, you may find that you like the look of it and that I can compliment what you have done with the room. You can find them in almost any finish and you can find them to match a child’s room décor too.

Recently one of my aunts passed away. At the funeral service were several arrangements of family photos to look through. The children had done a nice job of arranging the photographs for display. There were always several people around the display area talking about the pictures and pointing how people have changed through the years. It was apparent that people were enjoying looking at the photographs.

During my drive home from the funeral service I was reflecting about how family photos interest us so. I find that when I am in other people’s homes I like to study the family photos that are displayed. I may notice a painting or other wall hangings, but it is photographs of family that draw my attention and often involve conversations. I have a few family photos displayed in our living room, but the majority of my pictures are in photo albums and boxes that are tucked away. I decided that I need to make more of an effort to display the photographs and have the albums more accessible to look through.

I know this will be an on going project but I wanted to make some small step towards getting the project underway. I have the formal family photographs that were taken by photographers through the years, but I wanted to display pictures of family members having fun together. The formal pictures have few memories attached to them, but candid family photos are filled with memories of events and travels. To start my project I went to a department store and purchased a large wall hanging. The wall hanging is of eight photo frames that are attached to each other. Some are arranged lengthwise and others are arranged widthwise. It is a new version of the collage. The frames are made of wood and each has a separate opening on the back. This will allow me to easily exchange family photos if I choose to.

My husband liked the frame. He has been taking many pictures of fishing trips that we have taken with both his family and mine. He thought it would be fun to get several of the frames to place around the house and have each one center around a different theme. This first frame would feature family photos involving fishing. I thought this was a good idea. We have several family photos of different holiday celebrations so we could do frames around them.  I look forward to having family photos displayed in our home. I think it will be fun for guests to look at and will help us to recall fun times when we look at the pictures.

Are you a person that pays attention to small details, things that may seem unimportant or unnoticed? I am that kind of person. I like to make sure that small details are not over looked. I think this is why I have been successful in the hospitality industry. I started in the industry as the front desk clerk in a small seaside hotel in the town that I grew up in. This was my summer job when I was in high school. The couple that owned the hotel were sticklers for details. The desk area always needed to be tidy and clean. There were always new magazines in the lobby area as well as ice water and fresh fruit for the guests. Each guest was to be greeted warmly and if at all possible called by name. This personal service made people feel cared for and welcomed.

This seaside hotel was quite small and did not have a great deal of amenities, yet the rooms were always booked, and usually with repeat customers. There are many hotels in the area so it was important for the owners to compete with the large hotels that had a great deal of amenities. They found personal service and attention to detail was what people were looking for. Each of the rooms had luxury towels and bath soaps. There were fresh flowers in the rooms as well as a dish of candies. These small touches cost money, but the customers appreciated the gestures.

Many hotels do not use luxury towels because they fear that the people will steal them. They also feel that the small details are not important to the customer. One of the maids told me that she knows that the customers appreciate the small extras because they tip higher. She had been a maid at a different hotel in the town. That hotel was newer and had more amenities. It also cost more. She said that the towels were old and thin and the lobby area was cold and unwelcoming. At the other hotel the guests did not take care of the rooms. They would throw the towels on the floor and tracked dirt and sand into the rooms. At this small hotel people took care of the rooms because the owners did. The luxury towels were hung on the towel racks and the rooms were straightened when the guests left. Also her tips were almost triple in size, even though the clientele appeared to be less affluent.

The lessons regarding hospitality and attention to detail that I learned at this hotel have stayed with me through my career as well as in my home life. I buy luxury towels and good soaps for my family and guests. I always make sure that people feel welcomed and at home whether they are visiting for an hour or a weekend. I think the details make all the difference.

I’ve never quite understood why people seem to find it necessary to cover their bumpers with lots of stickers. Sure, it may have been the thing to do at one point, but have you ever tried to remove one? It is nearly impossible. I’ve seen people trade in vehicles with bumper stickers all over their cars and the dealership not give them as high of an offer because they know how much damage could be done from peeling them off.

Much to many people’s pleasure, someone came up with the genius idea of a magnetic bumper sticker. They really flourished in sales right around the time the USA went to war in Iraq. Suddenly, people had those yellow ribbons and patriotic magnetic bumper stickers all over the place. I admit, I purchased one as well. I have no problem showing my support for our country or anything for that matter.  With the contentment of knowing that I can remove the magnetic bumper sticker at any time without doing any harm to my vehicle. I won’t be spending hours using a razor blade to scrape the sticker off either. To whoever came up with the genius idea, many people out there are thanking you right about now.

You can almost buy a magnetic bumper sticker anywhere nowadays. I purchased mine at a craft store, which didn’t seem like the most likely of places to find them. Many websites sell tons of them. Of course, magnetic bumper stickers aren’t always just for being patriotic. I’ve seen some incredibly humorous stickers on vehicles as well that I know are magnetic. While I don’t enjoy seeing stickers all over the place and think that sometimes overdoing them is nothing but trashy, at least if they are magnetic bumper stickers, they can be removed.

I definitely have to snicker at the people who are driving around with political bumper stickers from the last election that are still stuck on there. If they’d only been wise enough to get a magnetic bumper sticker, they wouldn’t still have people like me snickering at them. Of course, this fall’s election season is coming up rapidly as well. It may not be a presidential election, but the controversy is definitely still there. During any election there are politicians bashing one another left and right. It is kind of pathetic, if you ask me. And there are still the bumper stickers that people plaster all over the place. I just hope that they are magnetic bumper stickers. Especially if their vote ends up being for the one who loses.

Autumn is the time of the year that affects each person very differently. Some people like the fact that children are back in school and their family can resume a routine.  Others are looking forward to the holiday season and others become depressed because of the shortened hours of day light and the coming of the winter months. I love the fall. I love the colors of the leaves and the crispness in the air. I also like Halloween decorating. This is a trend that seems to become more popular each year.

When I was growing up we would carve jack-o-lanterns the night before Halloween and set them on the front steps. That was the extent to the Halloween decorating that my mom did. My first year of college was a different story. I rented a house along with eight other women. We made ghosts to hang in the trees and had a witch on a broom that was attached to the door. When we opened the door the witch would fly across the front porch. This was one of the cleverest Halloween decorating ideas I had ever seen, one of the other women’s family made one every year.

The witch is made by tying a green helium filled balloon to a stick. A witch’s hat is then put on the balloon. The stick is attached to a string that goes around the door knob and the stick is balanced on something about six feet off the ground. The house we rented in college had a window that we were able to balance the stick on the upper frame. When we opened the door the string would tighten and the witch would come flying at the head of the person ringing the doorbell. This was great fun. We had to take turns setting the witch on the window sill and running around the house to come in the back door. We laughed that our Halloween decorating was helping us get our aerobic exercise.

Today there are much more sophisticated Halloween decorating ideas. There are huge lawn ornaments as well as special lighting to use. One of our neighbors converts their yard into a grave yard. They put up tomb stones and tie bats in the trees. They have sculls and skeletons as well as a full size Frankenstein. Their garage is set up as a haunted house. Her elaborate Halloween decorating costs several hundred dollars. Each year she goes out the day after Halloween to add to her collection. They have built a shed in the back of their property to store all the decorations.